Brandon Marshall with Anthony Carter of the Denver Nuggets Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Brandon Marshall is a lot of things: a Pro Bowl acquisition of the Miami Dolphins, an NFL record holder, and one of the nastiest wide receivers in the NFL. However, will we soon be adding NBA star to that list? In a recent interview, Brandon Marshall stated that if the NFL locks out its players next season, which is looking to be a rather likely scenario, he will elect to move on to a career in the NBA. And this is no publicity stunt, as evidenced by that fact that he has had serious discussions with his agent regarding this possibility.

Furthermore, Marshall claimed that, “I’m going to be on an NBA team. Seriously.” There is no doubt that the 6′4″, 230 lb UCF product with a 37 inch vertical jump has the size and athleticism to be an NBA shooting guard. However,Miami Dolphins, whether or not his basketball skills are up to par is a different story. Marshall last played basketball as a multi-sport athlete at Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Florida, where he was also All-State in football and a state champion in the triple jump. “Right now I’m rusty,” Marshall declared, going on to predict, Miami Dolphins,“After some training I’ll be fine. I’ll be right back where I used to be.” Describing himself as an outside shooter, Marshall said that he would be happy to accept a minimum NBA salary.

The 26 year old even has specific teams in mind, citing the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat—teams located in the two cities in which Marshall has played during his NFL career—as his preferred destinations. But realistically, does Marshall stand a chance of making it into the NBA? It’s very doubtful. Marshall’s lack of basketball accolades at the high school level serves to illustrate that he may have an inflated sense of his NBA potential.Miami Dolphins, Furthermore, history is not on his side, as there have been few athletes that have successfully transitioned from football to basketball. Perhaps most notable attempt to do so was by Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, who played both football and basketball at the collegiate level at Cal. As a 6′5″ power forward, he had several NBA try-outs, although he was never signed to any teams.Miami Dolphins So it appears that Marshall’s NBA future looks bleak. However, let’s hope for his, as well as for all the fans’ sake, that the NFL Players Association and the NFL owners are able to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement by next year, thereby eliminating any chance of a lockout in 2011.

Chad Henne – Our starting quarterback going into this year is 3rd year player Chad Henne out of Michigan. Last year Chad was thrown into the starting role when Chad Pennington went down with a shoulder injury Week 3 vs San Diego. Many Dolfans including myself were skeptical of how Henne would respond to his new found starting position, but he proved to all of us he was ready to take the reins. Henne came in and threw for 2,878 yards completing 274 passes out of 451 attempts with a passer rating of 75.2 in just 13 starts. He did however throw more INT’s than TD’s (12 TD’s / 14 INT’s),Miami Dolphins,but he had a sub par receiving core and was a first year starter. With the addition of pro bowl WR Brandon Marshall (Denver) he now has that clear number one target to throw to. I believe that Chad Henne will elevate himself to the elite status in the upcoming season and be a mainstay at QB for years to come.

My projected stats for Chad Henne : 324 / 515 – 3,762 Yards – 26 TD’s / 17’s INT’sWide Receivers : Brandon Marshall – For the first time since Chris Chambers the Miami Dolphins have a legitimate threat at wide receiver. Brandon Marshall has arguably been the best WR in the NFL the last 3 seasons eclipsing 100 receptions each season with a young Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton throwing to him. He also did that with little to no running game to take coverage off of him. From 2007-2009 he had Travis Henry, Selvin Young, Peyton Hillis, Correll Buckhalter, and Knowshon Moreno in the backfield in which not a one of them ran for over 1,000 yardsor more than 7 TD’s. Now Brandon has a capable QB and a great one-two punch with Ronnie and Ricky sharing the rock at RB, so his production should increase. My projected stats for Brandon Marshall : 98 Receptions – 1178 Yards – 10 TD’sBrian Hartline – Last year the rookie out of Ohio St led the Miami Dolphins in yards per reception and lead all Dolphins WR with 4 total TD’s (1 Rushing). His 2009 stats were great for a first year player, he had 31 catches for 506 andhad 16.3 yards per catch. Hartline doesn’t catch a ton of balls, but when it’s thrown his way he’s got the hands and speed to make something out of it.

He may also see some time on special teams on Punt / Kick returns now that Ted Ginn Jr is gone.My projected stats for Brian Hartline : 43 Receptions – 632 Yards – 5 TD’sDavone Bess – Bess was an undrafted free agent out of Hawaii who was given his shot with the Miami Dolphins in 2008. His rookie numbers were very good, he had 54 receptions for 554 yards and 1 TD. He followed up in 2009 filling in for Greg Camarillo when he went down; catching 76 balls for 758 yards and 2 TD’s. This year Bess will be moved to a more appropriate role in the slot. I expect him to flourish there and be a great No.3 WR for a much improved WR core.My projected stats for Davone Bess : 55 receptions – 520 yards – 3 TD’sRunning Backs :Ronnie BrownMiami Dolphins - Last year Ronnie Brown got injured…again. Unfortunately our starting Running Back is one of the most injury prone backs in the league. He would be a perennial pro bowler, but he can not stay healthy. His best season statistically came in 2008 he started 13 games ran for 916 yards and 10 TD’s and he also had 33 catches for 254 yards. In 2009 however he only remained healthy for nine games before fracturing a bone in his foot. He had 648 yards and 8 TD’s if he hadn’t have gone down he would have had something close to 1,100 yards and at least 12 TD’s.

I am unsure as to why anyone ever thought Pat White could be a successful NFL quarterback. He had an impressive college career, but so did Ryan Leaf. Year after year, we see players who were prolific in the NCAA, but who cannot seem to match the speed and skill level required for professional football. The first time I saw Pat take a snap as a Miami Dolphins, something about it simply did not look right. His body looked small, fragile, and ineffectual next to guys almost twice his size, and his play mirrored those qualities quite acutely. Like many Miami Dolphins fans, I just didn’t see how this kid was going to be a difference-maker for this team, but I wanted to trust the often-wise judgment of the Trifecta. I recognize the fact that there are things about football Bill Parcells knows that I could never know, even if I studied the game for the rest of my life. Maybe just this once, however, my first instinct about a player was more accurate than that of the Big Tuna. I’m sure the Fins’ front office believed that Pat could be someone to throw defenses off-balance with supposed dual-threat passing and running abilities that never actually surfaced as an actual threat for opposing teams. At first, he seemed like an excellent candidate to run the Wildcat.

He looked like a young guy who was eager to show off his talent, and someone who was glad of his decision to pass up a career in Major League Baseball for a chance at NFL stardom. Looks can be supremely deceiving. When I got ahold of the training camp reports for day two, I was not at all shocked with what I found:White, while back with the team after missing the first camp practice, will most likely not start 2010 as a member of the Dolphins’ 53-man roster.Instead, White is rumored to be having “personal issues”, and could be bound for the Miami Dolphins active/non-football injury list. It’s also worth mentioning that AFL quarterback Tommy Grady is due for a tryout with Miami Dolphins on Monday, something that could suggest that Pat is on his way out. Mike Berardino of the Sun-Sentinel reportedly spoke to Pat’s older brother regarding the issues the young quarterback is facing. When asked about Pat’s future role with the Miami Dolphins, the answers seemed to put a lot of possibilities up in the air. “Being a young man, he’s just trying to find – I’m trying to put this in the best way — I guess his position in life. I think that may have something to do with it. Just life, you know, in general.”Some are speculating that Pat could be going through a personal crisis, while others say he has simply lost the heart to continue moving forward with his career.

Still others believe it to be a medical issue concerning recent injury. Perhaps a person who has suffered two concussions in as many years really should think about throwing in the towel. Personally, while there are too many ‘what-ifs’ to accurately predict White’s future in the league, I believe that the Miami Dolphins placing him on the active/non-football injury list would be a calculated move to cover their bases, so to speak. While clearly the least capable of the Fins’ four quarterbacks (a group that will need to be whittled down to three over the next six weeks), White is still believed to have value, and could be receiving this designation to keep him available to the team without sacrificing a precious spot on the final roster. White shared third-team snaps with a recovering Chad Pennington during Saturday’s practice, and signed autographs for fans afterward, but his status within the Dolphins organization is now one of the major questions looming over training camp. I would like to see Pat White get his chance to make a mark in the NFL (if that is indeed what he wants), but I just don’t see him making it with the Miami Dolphins.

Chad Henne completed 11-of-14 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars. After a nearly two-hour-long delay due to lightning in the Jacksonville area, the Miami Dolphins were finally able to get their second preseason game in against the Jacksonville Jaguars.The Miami Dolphins had some lightning of their own early on as the first-team offense excelled for much of the first half. Chad Henne was extremely productive and Brandon Marshall showed flashes of why the Dolphins traded for him in the offseason.Not all was well with the Dolphins‘ play, however, and with that I’ll turn to my game observations:Offense Chad Henne was absolutely fantastic last night and showed the potential he has to be a top quarterback in this league. He completed 11 of his 14 passes for 151 yards and two scores, and two of his incompletions were drops.

Henne showed everything you want to see in a starter—poise, pocket awareness, good decision-making, arm strength, touch, an accuracy. The Dolphins’ backup quarterbacks looked good as well, as Tyler Thigpen did fairly well given his rough pass protection and Chad Pennington did well in limited duty at the end of the first half. Miami has to be one of the deepest teams at quarterback with this trio. Pat White once again saw no action running the offense, and this time wasn’t even trusted to hand it off to Lex Hilliard with time running out. White’s defenders are running out of excuses, and it’s becoming blatantly obvious the Miami Dolphins have given up on the former second-round pick. He should stick around through the preseason in the event of injury, but I don’t expect him to be with the team come September. The Miami Dolphins didn’t do much on the ground, but didn’t really have to as they aired it out for much of the first half. Ronnie Brown was stuffed a few times in the wildcat, but Ricky Williams showed good power on a few runs. I think it’s safe to say that the wildcat with Patrick Cobbs leading it is not the same as with Brown leading it. Cobbs is a versatile guy, but he can’t carry the load that way.

Lousaka Polite was money on third-and-short as always, but Rolly Lumbala was stuffed on his chance to convert a short-yardage play. Lumbala has never really had a chance to make this team and that hurt him even more. Despite one drop, Brandon Marshall was all-around excellent, coming down with a jump ball, showing good run after the catch Miami Dolphins, and making some devastating blocks downfield. He took out two guys on Anthony Fasano’s first touchdown catch in blocking as good as I’ve ever seen from an NFL receiver. There’s no doubt the guy is the complete package. We saw practically no Greg Camarillo last night. I think he’ll make the team given how reliable his hands are and how much the staff likes his work ethic, but I’d say there is a very, very faint chance he doesn’t make the team. I think in the end he will,Miami Dolphins,though. Marlon Moore excelled more than any of the fringe wideouts with two catches for 32 yards, but his longest reception he was essentially uncovered the entire time. I still haven’t seen enough from Moore, Julius Pruitt, or Roberto Wallace to kick Patrick Turner off the roster.

It was a tough break (no pun intended) for guard Ray Feinga, who broke his “feinga” last night. Feinga was already a long shot to make the roster, so this probably sealed the deal. He’ll probably be waived/injured in the next day or two. Defense The Dolphins’ defensive line did a good job stopping the run early. Kendall Langford made some good plays as always Miami Dolphins, and Randy Starks was dominant against the run. He also contributed a sack from nose tackle, which is no small feat. Some people have questioned how well Starks will transition to nose, but I am zero percent worried. He’s a great player no matter where he plays and has plenty of bulk for the position. Charles Grant had a very good game and got good pressure from the defensive end spot, so it looks like he should have no problem earning a roster spot. It’ll be interesting to see who wins the fifth defensive end spot though between Ryan Baker, Lionel Dotson, and Tony McDaniel. McDaniel has the most experience but wasn’t that great in 2009, but Baker can double as a nose tackle and looked good last night. I just haven’t seen Dotson do anything in two seasons and I think it’s time for him to go Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins’ outside linebacker didn’t record any sacks, which is a cause for concern given the team’s struggling secondary. Cameron Wake, Charlie Anderson, and Erik Walden all got some pressure on the quarterback. Ikaika Alama-Francis was pretty quiet last night and actually really whiffed on a run play Miami Dolphins, so it’s obvious his transition from the defensive line is far from complete. Tim Dobbins did well in place of Channing Crowder, and it seems to me that anyone that plays next to Karlos Dansby is going to get quite a few tackles. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Dobbins take some of Crowder’s playing time in the regular season, especially if he can be better in coverage. The battle for the fourth inside linebacker spot is very heated, although Austin Spitler seems to be losing the most ground. Spitler hasn’t looked good in coverage, while J. D. Folsom did well on special teams and against the run.

Micah Johnson also racked up three tackles, although his range and athleticism is obviously his weak point. Folsom looks like the favorite at this point. Sean Smith had a rough day and was burned by Mike Sims-Walker a few times, although one of those plays he was picked by his own teammate off the line Miami Dolphins. Smith and the rest of the secondary struggled for a lot of the game though, and it’s a bit concerning at this point. Nolan Carroll had a very rough game on defense and allowed a touchdown on an out route. I still like his upside though, and his special-teams ability should secure him a roster spot while he develops on defense. After a huge game in the preseason opener, cornerback Nate Ness was a bit quieter last night. He replaced Vontae Davis when he left with a chest injury though, so it was nice to see him get a chance earlier in the game Miami Dolphins. I still don’t know where he fits onto the roster unless Will Allen misses significant time. You can’t cut Carroll and Jason Allen is phenomenal on special teams (he forced a fumble on a kickoff last night). Chris Clemons wasn’t great at free safety, but he still isn’t really being challenged by anyone. Reshad Jones made a few plays last night, but I don’t think he’s ready to start. Yeremiah Bell made a great tackle in space against Maurice Jones-Drew and is probably the only reliable part of the secondary.

Undrafted rookie Jonathon Amaya made a great play for an interception, although I don’t know if he’ll be able to make the team. However, Tyrone Culver hasn’t really flashed in camp and Amaya has good upside for an undrafted player, so he may be worth hanging onto over Culver. Special Teams Dan Carpenter was perfect with two field goals and three extra points, so there doesn’t appear to be anything to worry about despite some struggles in camp. Despite two blocks in tow games for Brandon Fields, I’m not concerned about the Dolphins’ punter. He’s got an elite NFL leg and isn’t to blame for either block this preseason. Chris Clemons was actually the culprit last night when the Miami Dolphins allowed a blocked punt and safety while pinned back against their own end zone. Nolan Carroll tightened his grip on the kickoff return job with good burst and vision. Patrick Cobbs simply can’t threaten to take one all the way like Carroll can.

In an interview with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Miami Dolphins star wide receiver Brandon Marshall stated that if the NFL undergoes a lockout next year, he will try out for the NBA. “My first team will be the Nuggets and my second team will be the Heat. I’m serious,” Marshall said. When asked to clarify if he would be pursuing a basketball career, he replied “Not pursuing. I’m going to be on an NBA team. I’m serious.” Following, he said he felt he was good enough to be a professional shooting guard. The last time the receiver played organized basketball was at Lake Howell High School in Florida Miami Dolphins, where he lettered three times. While some may take this as a joke, Marshall did appear serious. In fact, he went as far as predicting there won’t be football next year. “There’s not going to be any football. If there’s a lockout, I have to find a job…I’m gonna get with a basketball coach and get to work, prepare for the lockout.” Even though this may simply be fun and games, I would strongly encourage him to stick to what he does best.

The two-time Pro Bowl receiver signed a four-year, $47.5 million contract with the Dolphins earlier this offseason Miami Dolphins. He’s currently riding a three-season streak with at least 100 receptions for 1,000 yards.There’s no doubt he’s a very talented receiver, and I even consider him the third-best in the league. However, there’s a slim to non- existent chance he’d even make an NBA squad, let alone have any success. Despite his tremendous athleticism, he should realize that basketball and football are two very different sports, each requiring its own unique skill set. As an NFL receiver, one must possess reliable hands and be able to run precise routes, among other qualities. On the other hand, guards in the NBA must be able to shoot,Miami Dolphins pass, and defend—none of which Marshall has been trained to do for nearly a decade. Sure, he may have been decent in high school. But, everybody knows that the level of difficulty significantly rises as you get to the pro level. And, to think that he could train for a few months and elevate his game to those heights would be ridiculous as it sometimes takes rookies in the NBA multiple years to develop.

Even worse, though, I believe that evencontemplating an attempt to the NBA would be detrimental to his NFL career. Right now, he should be solely focused on training camp and preparing for the daunting tasks that lie ahead this season. For a receiver that will be expected to play at a dominant level in order for his team to even have a shot at playoff contention. The last thing he needs is a potential distraction such as this. Until this dies down (which may take a while), he will be swarmed by reporters questioning his focus and dedication on football. Would Brandon Marshall Be Successful In The NBA? Of course, at this point, matters should be taken fairly lightly. In fact, that’s exactly how the Miami Dolphins are taking it. In response to Marshall’s plan, the team’s head coach Tony Sparano said, “I’ve seen him jump. He’s not playing basketball.” For your info, Marshall has a 37-inch vertical, which is actually comparable to Kobe Bryant’s 38. That said, would he have the necessary physical skills? Miami Dolphins Aside from a slight lack of height (6′4″ 230 lbs.), probably. Would it be entertaining to see him try it out? Sure. Do I applaud him for his bold comments and self-confidence? Absolutely. But, does he have the emotional, mental, or pure basketball skill to play in the NBA. While he does have a fair chance, I highly doubt it. So, Marshall, continue to dominate in the NFL, because you would not in the NBA.